Determined the correct memory sockets and got them ready to be populated.

G.Skill RGB memory installed.

2x 8GB G.Skill RGB memory with 3200 speed, dual-channel, 16ns cache latency. Very nice speed bump to the base 2666 without taking the risk that the CPU-integrated controller can’t handle it without adjusting the timings (which we often see with 3333+ memory speeds)

Motherboard pre-installed Optane module which we’ll configure to chache the 4 TB Seagate HDD (the 970 EVO sysem drive is faster than Optane so caching that wouldn’t make sense)

970 EVO NVMe PCIe SSD installed

Optane and 970 EVO installed in 2/3 available M.2 slots on the Gigabyte Aorus Gaming 7. We picked the M.2 slot furthest to the bottom so the 970 EVO is not heat-trapped below the graphics card.

Anti-fingerprint fat cleaning about to start

Making sure no dust, dirt, grease or fat is on that CPU before applying the thermal paste

Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut ready for action

Pea-sized dot of Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut right in the middle. This will distribute evenly and without any air bubbles across the whole CPU-integrated heatsink (IHS) once pressure from mounting the waterblock is applied

Prepping the Deepcool 240 mm all-in-one (AIO) liquid cooler

Pre-installed compound about to be removed since we are using the Thermal Grizzly compound that performs better

Deepcool waterblock cleaned from the original compound and ready to be installed.

Panels taken off. Ready for the final assembly

Seasonic PRIME 1000W Titanium PSU installed upside down so the chrome grill is visible through the panel window

UPDATE: The giveaway has ended. Congrats to the Winner Fred Klein!
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